Chapter 2 - Climate Data and Monitoring

The Climate Record

The robustness of the climate record has changed dramatically over the last fifty years, and ongoing developments in information technology, together with the many new observations platforms, will ensure that the climate record will be continually evolving.

The availability of meteorological, hydrological, oceanographic and other environmental data has underpinned the advancement of climate science and a diverse range of applications and services. Data are being used in applications that did not exist, and in analysis techniques that were not conceived, when the early observations were collected.

The growth of satellite and other remote sensing technology and the automation of existing observing platforms will result in the exponential growth of data volumes, and will require more complex, automated quality control and analysis techniques to manage these data.